Just partners
by Oneturtledove
Summary: The duo adventures to a teamwork something or other. Fluff and banter-riffic. That really is all.


Disclaimer: I do not own anything here. I barely own the computer I'm using.

Spoilers: A good knowledge of the show would be good for your health, but not necessary for reading this.

A/N: This may end up being one of my longest one shots, so hold onto your hats. I just couldn't break it into chapters. The love languages are taken from Gary Chapman's book "The Five Love Languages." If you have a minute, google that before reading this, just to get a general idea of what I'm talking about later. I actually took the test twice, once as Mulder and once as Scully. That was fun and weird. And I found out that I am almost exactly like them. Freaky. And I know they're a little OOC. Deal. And the ending sucks because the only advice Julia would give me was "How about Skinner laughs maniacally?" Thanks a lot Thing 2.

* * *

"Flight 375 to Aspen will be one hour late. We apologize for the delay."

Scully looked over at Mulder and shook her head.

"What?" he said, shrugging his shoulders. "This wasn't my idea."

"I know. I wasn't saying that it was. I was merely implying that this always happens."

"What?"

"Getting stuck in the airport or in a traffic jam or in a crummy motel."

He smiled and tipped his bag of gummi-bears in her direction as a peace offering. She grinned and took a few.

"I know. But this time it's like a free vacation. A week in Colorado with nothing to do but go to this conference. I think it gets over before eight every night and then we are free to do whatever we want."

"Mulder, if team building seminars are like a vacation, then why have you always avoided going before?"

"Because I never had any one to go with me."

She rolled her eyes and turned back to the medical journal that she had been reading for the last hour.

"Are you upset with me?" he asked, tugging the journal away from her eyes.

"No. What would make you think that?"

"I don't know."

"I'm not mad at you. You haven't done anything wrong in weeks."

"I haven't?"

"No. You've been unusually well behaved. What's up with that?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want something?"

He shook his head and stretched his legs out in front of him.

"I guess I haven't felt like getting any looks lately."

"Looks?" she asked, lifting her eyebrow.

"Like that one."

She smiled and shook her head.

"You're funny Mulder."

"I like to see you smile."

A slight blush crept into her cheeks and she turned away. A few seconds later she felt a small squeeze on her knee. It was a small apology for embarrassing her, but one that she accepted.

It had been almost six months since they had had a day off of work. It seemed like they were always out of town on a case, or in town, but on a case. It had been nice to be together so much, but Scully missed her mom and Mulder missed his couch. Now they were being banished again, to a teamwork and communication seminar.

"Hey, I'm going to go grab a coffee. Want one?" Mulder asked.

"No thanks."

"You're sleepy."

"I know, but if I have coffee now I will be up all night."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

He walked down the hallway towards the small deli and she wrinkled her nose. He could drink any kind of coffee, no matter how much it resembled sludge. At least she had standards. He returned a few minutes later and sat down next to her. She scooted closer and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I told you that you were sleepy."

Her chuckle was small, but a fitting reward for the comment. He rested his arm on the back of her chair and gave her shoulder a little squeeze.

"I'll wake you when the plane gets here."

She nodded and yawned, then closed her eyes with a sigh. He watched her for a few minutes, smiling when her nose twitched. He loved his partner, he really did. He loved her even more when she was in a good mood. In the last few months she had changed. She initiated hugs more often, had no inhibitions about calling in the middle of the night if she had a bad dream. He enjoyed it. He had finally gained her trust, not just professionally, as she had given him that a long time ago. It was the trust that ran through a friendship, one that had taken years of cultivation, miscommunications, and reconciliation. Her giggles and smiles were more frequent, her tears less hidden.

She stirred awake half an hour later, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light.

"Is the plane here yet?"

"It just pulled up. You have good timing."

She grinned and sat up.

"What time is it?"

"Just after eight. It's going to be a late night my dear."

Not only did they have to make the flight to Colorado, once they got to the airport they had to rent a car and drive to the motel where the conference was being held. Then they had to check into the motel, which, knowing their luck, could take quite a while. The whole ordeal would take several hours.

"You're looking at one or later before you can go to bed."

"Not funny."

* * *

"Hey Scully, what time are you getting up in the morning?" Mulder asked, walking through their joining door into her room. She was sprawled on her bed, her hair tousled and her jacket and shoes still on. He smiled and removed her shoes, setting them nicely next to her suitcase. The jacket was a little harder to remove, but he managed. She made a snuffling sound in her sleep, then snuggled deeper into the mattress. He pulled the blankets up over her, kissed her forehead and brushed her hair from her face.

"Mulder," she muttered softly, her eyes still closed.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

She sighed once more and drifted into deep sleep. He rubbed her back gently for a few minutes before heading back to his room. The "I love you" hadn't caught him off guard as it would have a few months ago. It had taken up permanent residence in their friendship, and was used at least once a day. It had started out almost as a joke, a referral back to his hospital declaration. Over time it had turned into a real utterance, usually spoken when they said goodnight. He was getting used to it, and he liked it.

As he brushed his teeth and got into bed, the idea of their evolving friendship weighed heavily on his mind. They cooked dinner together almost every night. After dinner they went into the living room to watch TV, and she would lay on the couch with her head in his lap, while he played with her hair. Weekends were spent together, catching up on work, taking long pointless drives and having dinner with her mom. Evenings, if spent apart, ended with her falling asleep while on the phone with him. While on a case, the door between their rooms remained opened all the way instead of just a crack. They even brushed their teeth together in the morning. Getting her attention was the touch of a hand rather than "hey." Hugging was commonplace. Kissing was still an untouched subject and probably would be for quite some time.

Mulder sighed. They were practically dating. Her mom said that they should get married, to which they had both laughed and shook their heads. Now he knew where Maggie had gotten the idea. They acted like they were in love.

He was scared to death. He could feel the impending doom. Someday she would regret getting this close to him. Someday when he made a mistake and ditched her, or if Diana came back again. Not that he would ever be with Diana, but just her presence put a horrible strain in their friendship.

He rolled over, gave his pillow a few good smacks and settled into the bed again. She'd cried in front of him two nights ago. She had gone to the doctor after a series of nosebleeds, and was afraid that the cancer was back. The doctor assured her that there had been no negative change, and that the tumor was actually half the size it had been at her last check up. The tears that she had cried that night were not of frustration or sadness, but of relief. It was coming to and end. She had sat on his lap, the sobs that she had refused herself for so long coming quickly and raggedly. He had rocked her back and forth until she was quiet, limp in his arms. A small mumble had told him that she wanted to go to bed. He had tucked her in gently, turned off all the lights and locked all the doors before leaving. The next morning when she arrived at work, her eyes were crystal clear, and her smile always just a moment away.

He loved her. He really did. He cared about her more than anything in the world. Hurting her was not an option. He would die to make her happy. There would be no discussion of his hesitancies. He loved her and it didn't matter if other people saw it in a different light.

* * *

"Mulder, why aren't you up yet?" Scully asked, shaking his shoulder. He opened bleary eyes and furrowed his brow until they focused on her.

"Forgot to set an alarm. What time is it?"

"Just after seven. We need to be down there in an hour."

He nodded and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Didn't sleep well."

A hand came up and brushed through his hair.

"Nightmares?"

"Bad mattress."

She nodded.

"Hurry up, I want breakfast." He chuckled and stood from the bed.

* * *

The room smelled like new carpet and fresh paint and the fake smiles on the faces of the other agents only added to Scully's headache. Not to mention the fluorescent lighting and bad coffee. The day was off to a bad start, and the first team building session hadn't even started yet. She sat down at the small table next to Mulder with a sigh and began to count the minutes until they would be free again. She hadn't felt this trapped since high school.

"This isn't my fault," he said slurping down his fourth cup of "black liquid gold."

"I didn't say that."

"You have the face."  
"I do not."

He glanced over at her and smiled.

"My mistake. That's the headache face. You alright?"

He rubbed her shoulders then squeezed her neck gently. She told her mind to shut up when it reminded her how much she loved that.

"I'll be fine."

"Sure? We could bail."  
"And then we would have to relive this whole thing over again next year. No thanks."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Want some coffee?"

"Yeah, is there any around here?"

"You can have some of mine."

"Well look Jed Clampett, you struck oil. Guess we'd better move ourselves on out to Beverly Hills."

"Too much Nick at Night, Pidge."

She just smiled as an older man took the stage. He introduced himself as Jake Mullins, the facilitator of the team building seminar.

"That clear podium really accentuates his portly midriff," Mulder whispered. Scully smiled, and thanked a higher power that they had decided to sit in the back.

"Now this seminar is going to be a lot different than others you have been to in the past. Instead of teams, we're focusing primarily on 2 agent pairs, and even more specifically on pairs with one male and one female. The FBI has found that pairs like these work the best together, but don't tend to last as long as same gender pairs. In lieu of FBI trained teamwork specialists, we have instead brought in some of the top marriage counselors in the country. We believe that this will help partners to understand each other better on a more personal level than the FBI has concentrated on before.

"For our first session, we brought in Dr. Leslie Weel. She has been counseling couples for over 10 years, and is eager to share her insights with us today."

A short blond woman came to the stage, amid the clapping of the 30 or so other agents in the room. Mulder and Scully just looked at each other.

"Mulder, if I decide to kill Skinner for this, will you help me?"  
"I'll be your alibi."  
"Perfect."

"I would like to begin today with a short activity. As you all seem to be sitting with your partners already, you won't even have to move. What I want you to do with your partner is to share 5 things with them that they do not know about you. I'll give you just a few minutes to complete this task. I'll be coming around the room to check your progress and offer pointers. You can begin now."

The rest of the green and probably by the book agents set to work, their pencils in hand, and their chattering soon becoming nothing more than the teacher in a Peanuts cartoon.

"Well Scully..."

"Well what?"

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Like what? You know everything about me. A to Z, top to bottom. I'm an open book and if I wasn't, you'd pry me open anyway."

"You're an open book. That's something I didn't know."

"Mulder..."

"Okay, let's just play along. This might even be fun. Think of something I don't know."

They sat quietly for a long while. Every time either one of them thought of anything, they would quickly realize that the other probably knew it already.

"And how are we doing back here?" Dr. Weel asked as she approached them. Scully made a mental note to tell Mulder that one of her pet peeves was when people said 'we' instead of 'you.' Worse than nails on a chalkboard. She knew he didn't know that about her.

"We're doing just fine," Mulder said with a grin. Maybe he was a flirt, but sometimes it really took the pressure off of her to participate in small talk.

"Are you learning things about each other?"

Scully could almost hear him say "Oh yes, you wouldn't believe the things we didn't know!" But instead she heard:

"Actually, no. It seems that we already know everything there is to know about each other."

"Now, you're bluffing. I have never met anyone that couldn't think of at least one thing to say to each other."

"Really. We've been partners for over 7 years. We've had conversations to say the least."

"Well let's see if I can help out here. By the way, what are your names, and which field office are you out of?"

"I'm Fox Mulder and this is Dana Scully. We work in D.C."

"Okay. You say you've been partners for 7 years. Let's go back 7 years or more then. Do you know about each other's childhoods?"

They glanced at each other for a brief second. Scully's expression showed defeat, and he knew he was free to answer the questions, no matter how embarrassing.

"Scully probably knows every childhood story that I have. I would say I know a fair amount about her too."

"Do you know how Dana did in school?"

"I know she had mostly straight A's, except one quarter of high school when she used to skip class so she could practice with this grungy garage band. They mostly did covers but had a few original songs too. She played guitar and drums, but under no circumstances would she be able to play anything on either instrument now."

Dr. Weel just looked at him for a moment.

"Okay. And Dana, what do you know about Fox's high school career?"

"He got pretty good grades, and was ingenious enough to rig up a pyramid scheme of some sort in which people paid him to write papers, which he mostly ended up copying straight from encyclopedias. He never got caught, but most of his clientele was weeded out by his senior year. He had to get a job to keep him in the lifestyle to which he had become accustomed."

Once again, Dr. Weels' large brown eyes just stared at the two of them.

"Alright. Let's dig a little deeper. Fox, Dana is stranded on a desert island. What one thing does she bring?"

"The national treasury because they would waste no resources to find her. She just told me that last week."

"And Dana, same question."

"He would bring me because apparently he thinks I'm McGyver or something and could fashion a jet pack or a plane out of coconuts and the laces from our shoes."

"You two obviously have spent a lot of time together. Are you having troubles in your partnership? Your friendship?"

They both shook their heads.

"Then why are you here?"

"It's our boss's idea of a joke," Mulder offered.

"We've managed to avoid these things every year. I guess he just wanted to make the punishment fit the crime."

Dr. Weel nodded again, and Scully suspected that they were being analyzed.

"Would it be alright if I picked your brains a little? I'm interested to learn how the two of you work so closely and still seem to get along so well. By this time most marriages are experiencing one or two minor disruptions."

"Well, our partnership isn't without its hiccups, but we manage to work around them," Mulder said confidently. Scully managed to close her eyes before she rolled them. What exactly was he trying to sell this woman?

"Well, I'd like to sit down with you sometime this week anyway."

She gave them a smile and returned to the podium.

"Hiccups, Mulder?"

"I'm just putting it on a scale with how bad it could get. You know, if you took up kickboxing."

"I warned you that one more short joke would cause you great pain. You didn't listen."

"Did you think I would?"

"I guess not. But then again, I didn't think you would play along with her. What's up with that?"

"Sometimes it's just easier to go along with it than to fight it. Besides, we may learn something valuable here. You never know."

"What have you done with my partner?"

"Nothing. Let's just go with it, Scully. Have fun."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Are you with me?"

"Sure. Let's go with it."

* * *

Scully chuckled to herself and handed a napkin to her partner. He had ordered ribs for lunch and was having a hard time keeping it all in his mouth. She on the other hand had ordered a salad, and had finished a few minutes before.

"Hey Scully, you want some of this?" he asked, indicating the mass of meat and barbeque sauce on his plate.

"No thank you."

"You've gotta still be hungry. All you had was that puny little salad."

"It wasn't puny. And it had chicken on it so simmer down."

He looked at her for a long moment.

"Did you just tell me to simmer down?"

"Yes I did. Deal with it."

He shrugged and went back to his meal.

"Mulder what's a twelve letter word for supposed?"

"Hypothetical," he answered without missing a beat. She grinned at him, shook her head and wrote the word in the spaces provided. "You know, that's the first time you have asked me for help on a crossword puzzle. Should I mark this day in my diary?"

"I'll give you a day to mark in your diary if you don't watch it."

He gave a short laugh as he finished the rest of his food and wiped his hands on the moist tissue that that had come with the meal.

"Are you ready?"

"Mulder, do you ever just sit still?"

"No, I don't. Come on, I saw a comic book shop down the street. I want to check it out before the next session."

She sighed and stood up from the table while he fished money out of his wallet to pay for lunch.

"Maybe I'll buy you a comic if you're really good," he commented as they left the restaurant. She rolled her eyes and followed him down the street a few doors.

"Scully, you're about to see me like a kid in a candy shop. Prepare yourself."

"You're always like a kid in a candy shop, Mulder."

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

She just smiled as they entered the shop. Mulder went straight for the Superman comics, almost as if he had sniffed them out.

"Sweet! I don't have this one. I've been looking for it for years. The gunmen even tried to get it for me."

"Well buy it then," Scully retorted, more than slightly amused. Mulder grinned.

"You're going to allow me an indulgence?" he asked.

"Oh like I hold your purse strings."

He opened his mouth to say something but she held her hand up.

"Rethink that buddy."

He closed his mouth.

* * *

By that evening, it seemed that everyone attending the seminar had heard that Mulder and Scully had been partners for _seven years_. They were met with looks of admiration everywhere they went, which was a nice change, but still annoying.

"Scully, remember when you dragged me to that science museum, and all the little kids were crowded around the exhibit of the deep sea diorama?"

"Yeah."

"I know how those fish felt."

"No kidding."

They found their table in the small banquet room and sat down. Mulder checked out the other name cards on the table and smiled.

"Scully, you remember Eric Collins and Stacy Anthony? We met them a few years ago, the case in Little Rock?"

"Vaguely. Did we like them?"

"Yeah. They wrote to Skinner and thanked him for sending us to help them out."

"Oh yeah. Skinner almost had a heart attack."

"They're sitting at our table."

"Really? Well maybe this whole week won't be a flop then."

"Scully, do you think we could actually make friends?"

"I don't know. It seems like too much to hope for. We're kind of socially awkward."

"Yeah. All of our friends are even more awkward than we are."

"The gunmen are your friends, not mine."

"Since the Diana fiasco, they have decided that they like you better."

"Well that's fair."

He rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Come on, Scully, I'm bored."

She looked up from her book and arched an eyebrow. He was laying on her bed, his feet on the extra pillow, and his head hanging off the end of the bed.

"I'm sorry. But only boring people get bored."

He blew a raspberry at her and tickled her foot. She jerked it away and went back to the book.

"I'm bored," he announced again. She sighed and put the book on the inn table. There was no way she was going to finish the first chapter with him bothering her.

"Okay, fine. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Let's go for a drive."

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"They make me tired and then you ask me questions and all my censoring abilities are gone and I say things that I normally wouldn't. It's not fair."

"What if I don't ask you questions?"

"Mulder, I don't want to go for a drive tonight."

"Well what do you want to do?"

"I just want to sit here. I'm tired."

He sat up and she giggled at the redness in his face. It went away after a moment, and he crawled over to her to put a hand to her forehead.

"Are you getting sick?"

"Maybe. I hope not."

"Maybe you should just go to bed early in case."

She shrugged.

"I don't want you to be sick. Go to bed."

"It's early," she said with a frown.

"I know. Why don't you go and get in your pajamas and I'll find a movie on TV. By the time it's over, you'll be tired and want to go to sleep anyway."

She nodded and obeyed. She knew that arguing with him was useless especially when it came to what was best for her. When she came back into the room, he was lounged on her bed watching Back to the Future. She smiled and sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He pulled her into a hug and kissed the crown of her head.

A few minutes later she was asleep. He could tell by the way her breathing changed and how her temperature seemed to rise a degree or two. He sat there for a moment, debating whether or not he should tuck her in or sit there with her for a while. She wouldn't mind either way. He decided to wait until the movie was over. It only had half an hour left anyway.

Scully started to stir in her sleep, making noises that he could only describe as unhappy. He brushed her hair back from her forehead and watched her face for any indication to what was wrong. Her brow was furrowed, her eyes clamped tightly shut. It was just a bad dream. He thought it would pass. Instead, it got worse. She started to cry, and her breathing came in short gasps.

"Scully, wake up. It's me, you're having a nightmare."

She twisted in his arms, trying desperately to get away.

"No!" she whimpered. "Mulder, no."

"Scully, you're fine. I'm right here. Wake up."

Her eyes cracked open and she sighed.

"You're okay," she stated, reaching up to touch his face.

"I'm fine. Are you okay?"

She nodded, then rested her head on his chest.

"They killed you."

"Who?"

"I don't know. Them. They took you away and they killed you."

"I'm sorry."

Her arms came around his waist and squeezed tightly.

"I don't think I could handle that."

"I hope we never have to find out."

"You're telling me," she muttered with a slight chuckle.

"You want me to stay in here for a little bit?"

"Yeah. Just a little bit."

He pulled the blankets up to her chin and kissed her hair. She sighed against him, her hand coming to rest on his arm.

"Mulder?"

"Hmm?"

"If someone could give you your sister back, what do you think would be a fair exchange?"

He sighed and scrunched up his face.

"I don't think there would be one. Anything that they would ask for I wouldn't be able to give."

"Sometimes I dream that you trade me."

The silence hung in the air for a long time. He wasn't sure what she wanted him to say.

"Do you think that I would?"

"Sometimes I do. I think deep down I know that she has no bearing on our friendship. I know that you wouldn't trade me literally. I know that she is still your sister, and I'm just your partner. But sometimes I wonder if maybe someday you'll change your mind. Maybe someday you will trade me."

"I'd never trade you. Even if that was the only way, I wouldn't do it. I couldn't. I love you too much. I would miss you like crazy. Plus, your brothers would kill me."

He got a short chuckle for that.

"You promise? You'll never get rid of me."

"I promise. I'm not a complete idiot."

"Okay. Just checking."

He tucked her hair behind her ear and gave her a hug.

"Go back to sleep, Scully."

"Will you stay?"

"Until you fall asleep."

"Thank you."

* * *

She woke the next morning to a painful pinching on her toes. She jerked her foot away from the intrusion and heard Mulder laugh.

"Come on, wake up."

She groaned and opened her eyes to find him standing at the end of her bed, a huge smile on his face.

"What did you do?" she asked, raising the eyebrow.

"Nothing. Come on, get out of bed. It's a brand new day. The sun is out, the birds are singing... why are you looking at me like that?"

"I always look at people like that when I am evaluating their mental stability. Seriously, what's going on?"

He sighed and turned to the table behind him.

"I brought you breakfast. I figured an extra hour away from the admiring stares of passersby would do you and that headache some good."

"Well... thanks. I appreciate it. What did you bring me?"

"A little of everything, even though I knew you probably just want some fruit and yogurt."

She got out of bed and raked her fingers through her hair.

"Thank you. Are you going to eat with me?"

"Well, I did bring two forks, and I don't really think you're a double fister."

"You might be surprised."

They sat down at the table and began to eat in silence. She was looking over their schedule for the day, and he was busy watching her. He loved to watch her, whether she knew he was doing it or not. He loved the way her nose crinkled just the slightest bit, the way her eyebrow stayed slightly arched, and how her smirks always started on her left.

"Mulder, stop it," she said, not looking up from the paper.

"Sorry."

"I hate when you do that."

"Stop being so pretty and I won't."

"Mulder..."

"Sorry, I'm done. Can I have the last piece of melon?"

"Have at it. But only if you share your bacon with me. Stop waggling your eyebrows."

"You walked right into that, Pidge."

She grinned and speared the last piece of bacon with her fork.

"So, I was wondering..."

"What?"

"Are you feeling better today?"

"I am. Why?"

"Last night when I was talking to Eric, he said that he lost a bet with Stacy so she is dragging him out tonight to go dancing. He wanted to know if we wanted to go. I told him I would ask you but the answer would probably be a huge guffaw followed by a no."

"You think you know me that well?"

"You want to go?"

"Maybe. I don't want to dance that bad, but watching drunk people try to dance is one of the most entertaining things in the whole world."

"You actually want to go?"

"I wouldn't mind. If you don't want to go, then let's not."

"We might as well. Important social connections and all that. Besides, I bet I can get you to dance."

"I bet you can too."

"Scully..."

"What?"

"You would dance?"

"I've danced with you before. Just nothing rowdy, okay?"

"Really? You'll dance?"

"I will dance, Mulder. Probably only once, but I will embarrass myself with you if you want."

"You're amazing. What's gotten into you?"

"The seven year itch I guess. And please, no jokes."

"I'm in too much shock from the dancing thing."

She shrugged and stood up from the table.

"I'm going to shower and then I'll be ready to go."

* * *

* * *

"What the heck are Love Languages, Scully?"

"Haven't you been listening?"

"How long have you known me?"

She sighed and set the paper down on the table in front of her.

"Everyone communicates and receives love and care in different ways. They want us to take this test, so we can find out the best ways to communicate with our partners. Now would you be quiet?"

"Is chocolate one of the languages? Because you're fluent."

"Mulder..."

"Sorry."

They both turned back to their tests and were quiet for a while.

"Some of these questions suck."

"Why?"

"Because I can't choose. Can you do it for me?"

"I don't think so."

"But you know me better than I know myself."

"No, Mulder. You only have seven questions left. Quit being two."

He chuckled and turned once again to the page. After a few minutes he looked up again and tried to tilt her paper so he could see it.

"Done yet?"

"Almost. I made a mistake."

"Dana Katherine Scully made a mistake? Shocker."

"Apparently I make a mistake every day when I choose to keep working with you."

"Oh, burn. So what's your love language, Scully?"

"What's yours?"

"I asked you first."

"But-"

"And ladies first."

"You're the most difficult man in the world."

"Fine. Quality time whipped the other's butts by double. You?"

"Me too. Which works out great since we end up spending about 20 hours a day together."

"I guess. What was your second one?"

"I got physical touch, but I don't know if that's right. Hugging is awkward."

"Even when I hug you?"

"No, but with anyone else, it's kind of weird."

"Interesting."

"So what was your second one?"

"Words of affirmation."

"I'd agree with that. I'm actually kind of surprised that it wasn't your first one."

"Well, people aren't always sincere. I do like it when you say you're proud of me though."

"And I do mean it."

"I figured. So, did we learn anything from this?"

"I learned that we know each other well enough that these tests are useless."

"Eh, I knew that already."

All she could do was roll her eyes and wish she was at home.

* * *

* * *

"Scully, you said you would dance with me."

"I know. But I'm tired now."

"Don't be a wuss. It's not even a fast song."

She sighed and took his hand and he pulled her out to the dance floor. The moment his hand met the small of her back, she forgot being tired. To tell the truth, she had been wanting to dance with him again ever since that Cher concert. She loved the idea of being in his arms for no other reason than him wanting her there.

"Hey Scully?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we do this more often?"

"What? Go out to clubs?"

"No, dancing."

"Maybe. Although if Skinner found out somehow-"

"He won't find out. Besides, we'll just tell him it's a good cardiac workout."

She grinned and listened to the music, which was almost indiscernible for how loud it was.

She glanced up at him as the song ended and their eyes met for a moment.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you were actually enjoying this conference, Mulder."

"The extra curricular activities are great."

She rolled her eyes as another song started, one she was sure Mulder wouldn't let her sit out on.

"You're not getting out of this one, Scully."

"Mulder, I can't dance to this!"

"Just follow my lead, okay?"

"But it's fast. I don't mind when we blast it in the car, but I can't dance like this."

"Trust me. Come on, it's our song, Scully!"

She sighed and nodded and he broke into a huge grin.

_Lovely, you're always lovely  
A vision  
You were the one  
Now I am stuck inside a memory  
You forgot about our destiny  
You buried me  
Didn't you?  
Didn't you?_

_Love me faster than the devil  
Run me straight into the ground  
Drowning deep inside your water  
Drowning deep inside your sound_

He spun her around the dance floor, dipped her once, and only smiled when she stepped on his foot. She was laughing for all she was worth. She couldn't help it. The two of them dancing like this was almost too absurd to comprehend.

_You're always floating  
A vapor  
That I couldn't see  
Here I am stuck inside a yesterday  
Everything has given way  
You fell from me  
Didn't you?  
Didn't you?_

_Love me faster than the devil  
Run me straight into the ground  
Drowning deep inside your water  
Drowning deep inside your sound  
Love me faster than the devil  
Run me straight into the ground  
Drowning deep inside your water  
Drown in love and memories_

The dancing was taking it's toll on him and he started to slow down a little. She made a mental note to tease him about it later.

"Scully," he muttered, close enough to her ear that she could actually hear him. "I love you."

"I love you too."

He dipped his head down and kissed her softly. She kissed him back, but just barely before he pulled away.

"Mulder, warn me next time."

"Why?"

"So I can be adequately prepared."

"Does that mean I can start doing that all the time?"

She just stared up at him, not sure exactly what to say.

_Maybe I am a crowded mind  
I watch your eyes glaze over  
Stared down at the floor  
You were amazing to me  
I was amazing to you  
But here we go again_

"Can we talk about it later? Somewhere where I can actually hear you?"

"Fair enough."

He smiled as the song ended, and led her off the dance floor.

"Hey guys, were going to head out," he said to Eric and Stacy, who were both nursing Long Island Iced Teas.

"This early? They haven't even started playing the disco music yet!" Eric said. Scully gave Stacy a sympathetic look. Eric was just a younger version of Mulder.

"Yeah, but we're old. I think Mulder's hip went out on that last song," Scully teased. Mulder just rolled his eyes and started to pull her towards the door.

"We'll see you guys in the morning. Don't stay out too late."

Scully chuckled and followed him out into the chilly night.

"Mulder, you're not their father."

"As a senior agent it is my responsibility to... ah, who am I kidding?"

They walked slowly back to the hotel, Scully feeling slightly buzzed, even though she hadn't consumed a drop of alcohol. Maybe it was the kiss. She shrugged that thought off as the idea of Mulder's hand still in hers registered. Their fingers were laced together, and his thumb was playing with hers. That little gesture was all she needed to die happy.

They were quiet on the elevator ride up to their rooms, and they just stood there silently between their doors.

"What time is it?" she asked finally.

"Just after 11."

"We are really pathetic."

"Wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure."

"I'm going to change and I'll meet you back in your room, okay?"

* * *

She was asleep before the movie was even half over. He twirled a strand of her hair through his fingers and thought about how often their nights ended just like this. He hadn't always been so lucky with her. Before the cancer, he felt weird ever coming into her hotel room after hours. But in the last few years, they had become so comfortable with each other, they could have shared a room without batting an eye. The closeness scared him and thrilled him at the same time.

Scully sighed in her sleep and nuzzled her face into his chest. Her eyes opened just slightly, and he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Go back to sleep, Pidge."

"Love you."

"I love you too. Goodnight."

* * *

A/N: Not my best... but eh. Whatever. And no, I am not explaining Pidge. Figure it out.


End file.
